At the recent 4th Liveable Cities Lab: “Transforming the Waste Crisis into Opportunity”, Guillermo Luz, chairman of Liveable Cities Philippines and chief resilience officer of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, stressed that despite existing policies like the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, many cities still face overflowing landfills, polluted waterways, and inefficient systems.

“By embracing the circular economy, we can transform waste into jobs, resources, and cleaner communities,” Luz said. “As climate change accelerates and cities expand, shifting to circular systems is no longer optional—it is a non-negotiable pillar of sustainable development.”

He emphasized that solving the waste challenge is critical not only for environmental resilience but also for public health and economic competitiveness.

From the government side, Dr. Al Oga Orolfo, Director of the Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Service at the DENR, presented the Philippine Healthcare and Mercury Wastes Management Project. Backed by the Global Environment Facility, the five-year initiative promotes environmentally sound healthcare waste management to reduce harmful pollutants and mercury exposure.

“This project extends beyond hospitals—it also involves local governments, small businesses, manufacturers, and surrounding communities,” Orolfo said, noting that effective healthcare waste management creates green jobs, technological innovation, and access to environmental financing.

He also cited the Green Economy Programme in the Philippines, a €61-million EU-funded project running until 2028 to support the country’s transition to a circular economy, boost energy efficiency, and expand renewable energy deployment. The program will engage at least 60 LGUs nationwide.

On the local level, Legazpi City is piloting a Smart Waste Management System (SWMS) that uses digital solutions to optimize collection routes and reduce emissions. According to Dominic Neil Careo of the city’s Environment and Natural Resource Office, the system cut fuel consumption by 23% in 2024 compared to 2023, resulting in 7.98 tons of CO₂-equivalent GHG reduction and ₱1.28 million in annual fuel savings.

“This is very game-changing,” Careo said. “Smarter routes mean less fuel use, lower costs, and reduced environmental impact.”

Manila City, meanwhile, is rolling out a 10-year waste management program (2025–2034) focusing on collection efficiency, waste diversion, and source segregation, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Vice Mayor Chi Atienza said the initiative includes 10 barangay material recovery facilities (MRFs), 686 recovery systems, a city-level MRF, and a mobile MRF.

The private sector is also stepping in. Marc Anthony Cruz Cox, Stakeholder Relations Director of Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines, shared the company’s strategies for tackling plastic waste, particularly in the country’s sachet-driven economy.

On 22-23 June 2023, Mr. TACHIKAWA Jumpei, First Secretary and Agriculture Attaché of the Embassy of Japan, attended the launching of the centralized Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and Smart Waste Management System (SWMS) in Legazpi City, Albay Province, under the Healthy Oceans and Clean Cities Initiative (HOCCI).This launching was attended by Legazpi City Mayor Carmen Geraldine Rosal, Environment Committee Chair Councilor Renato Valladolid, UN-Habitat Country Manager Mr. Cristopher Rollo and other LGU officials and barangay members.

These projects seek to reduce the many problems caused by marine litter, which endangers the environment, marine ecosystems, and public health. Managing marine litter is a global issue that also affects the Philippines. While the Philippines has among the highest trash collection rates in Southeast Asia, it remains the world’s third-largest source of marine litter.

Japan has contributed USD3 million to UN-Habitat Philippines to implement HOCCI, piloted in six cities: Cagayan De Oro, Calapan, Davao, Legazpi, Manila, and Ormoc. HOCCI aims to reduce marine plastic litter by strengthening the institutional capacity to support the operationalization and localization of the Philippines’ National Plan of Action for the Prevention, Reduction, and Management of Marine Litter (NPOA-ML) and the development of an improved data collection and waste management system.